Smoke-consuming furnace



M. CUMMINGS.

SMOKE CONSUMING FURNACE. APPucmo'rq FILED mm. 30, I9IB.

1,368,389, Patented Feb; 15,1921.

,,,,,,,,,,,, .Malthew Cummingsb MMlM Afliys UNITED ST E S'Y mn'rr'nn'wcvmivrmss, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

' I I f lvroxn-consomme FURNACES To all whom it may concern-.5; 1

Be itknownthat I; MATTHEW CUMrrrNcs,

a citizen of the United States,residing atv Boston; county of Sufiolk, stateofwMassathe latter, and also provide means for qde- 1 portion of the coked coal is thus transferredchusetts haveinventedi an Improvement in Smoke-- onsuming Furnaces, of which: the:

following description,- intconn'ection with drawing :repre senting like parts; J

This invention relates, to

movable grate. In my improvemenhjlprovide acokin'g: grate in frontof the endless chain grate andsituated below [the topzot livering the green coal onto the coking grate and-.then.5transferring said; coal after the.

gases have been drivenipiftherefrom onto the endless chain or' movable grate In the operation of my improved furnace after the coal on the coking gratelha s been completelycoked,:.the movable grate 1sadvanced thereby to present afresh grate surface at its'frontend' directly in the rear of the cokinggrate.

ing'grate onto'the fresh grate surface -.whe1-e it continues to burn as coke; Only the top from the coking grate and hence after the transferthere will stillrernain on the ook in g grateabed of burning coke. Green coal.

isthen depositedand allowed to remainon this bed of burning coke until allgases therein have been liberated and. driven off and burned, after which the movable grate is again advanced and the upperiportion of; the cokedcoal; is again transferred to the fresh grate surface, this-being doneinfsuch a way as to leave a bed of burning coke on thecoking grate, as above descrlbed. An

added quantity of green coal isthen deposita edon the coking grate and theaboveao'per'aions are repeated: The gases which; are driven 'ofifrom the green coal are consumed and give uptheir heat units as they pass overthe burning coke onthemovable grate;

One advantage resultingfrom the [use of this furnace is that the green-coal isalways delivered onto a bedv of burning coke and hence the gases, will be liberated fromthe green coal in a most economical manner.

an improved furnace by which coal maybe burned in a very economical manner without the production of .any smoke. Thefurnace is of. the known type having anendless ham-or Fig. 1. i

The top portion of the coked coal is then transferred from the cok- 1 fia-ea of Letter- Patent; n i '15 1 2 I nts men ra er 30,1918. Serial- No. 225,049. I

Moreover, since these gases are generatedentirely in front ofithe movablegrate, they will be burned while passingover the lmovcable grate and before they reach the bridge wall at the endofthe combustion chamber.

"In my improved furnace-thespace occu-- pied by the coking grate constitutes a gas. retortin wh ch combustible gases aregen erated;

In order to give a better understanding ofv my inventionl have illustrated in the draw ngs more or less. diagrammatically a- V furnace embodying my invention. v i

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of a furnace made'in accordance withmy invention;

.FigsuQ, 3 andi are similar views showing different steps in the operation of the furnace; Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5--5,

The furnace herein shown is provided with an endless chain or traveling gratel which 7 operates about sprocket wheels or their equ1valents-2. 1 The space eabo've the V grate constitutes. the combustion chamber and the space 4beflow said-grate-constitutes "thezash pit. Situated in frontiof the end-- less chain grate is astationary. coking grate 5 which is situated belowithe upper surface of the endless chainhgrate. "This coking grate 5 extends from the-front of theendless chain grate to the furnace front 6. A furnace embodying my invention may be used for any desired purpose and that hereboiler: 7.

in shown is one constructed to heat an herein shown is 'constructed so that green coal may be deposited on the coking grate 5. This may be done 'efither 'by hand:- or: automatically. I have herein shown a construction including a hopper or feedchute'8 situated above the'coking grate and provided with a gate 9 which normally closes the chuteorhopper, but which may be withdrawn to allow the coalto be deliv ered onto-the coking grate. The furnace is" also provided with a transferring device in.

the form o f' pushersw situated to push-or transfer part of thecoke onlthe coking grate to the endless chain grate Th is pusher or tranSferrerIO is intheform of a reci ro-,

catingplunger which "may be'operate by any suitable means, not shown, and the lower side thereof is situated slightly above the level of the topsurface of the grate 1.

Since the coking grate 5 is several inches below the top of the endless chain grate, a space of several niches'will exist between the transferring device 10 and the coking grate 5.

When the apparatus is in use there will be a body of burning coke 11. on the endless-' chain grate, and another body of burning fuel on the coking grate 5. The green coal which isdelivered to the furnace will be deposited on the coking. grate 5, and this green. coal. .will gradually become coir-ed, during which process combustible gases will be driven off therefrom. The gases which are thus driven off from the coking coal will pass through the combustion chamber over the burning coke 11. and will become consumed before they pass over the bridgewall 12. Y Y

After the combustible gases have been driven off from the fuel on the coking grate 5, the endlesschain grate is advanced either by hand or automatically, thereby to bring afresh or clear grate surface 13 at the front end of the endless-chain grate, as shown in Fig; 2. After this fresh grate surface has been provided, the upper portion 1 1 of the body of fuel on the coking grate 5 is transferred onto the fresh grate surface 13 so as to fill the grate 1, as seen in Fig. 3. This transfer will leave a body 15 of burning cokestill on the coking grate 5. After the transfer has been effected, a body of green coal 16 will be deposited on the burning coke15 and allowed to remain there until during their passage through the combustion chamber. After the body 16 of green coal-has been coked, then the movable grate is advanced again to provide a fresh grate surface and the coked body of coal 16 is transferred to saidfresh grate surface, and more green coal is deposited on the coking grate, etc.

With this sequence of operations there will always remain a body of burning coke on the coking grate 5 so that the green coal is always deposited on a bed of burning coke. This is very advantageous because by so doing the combustible gases in the green coal are liberated in the most economical The spacerat the front end ofthe furnace where the coking grate is situated has the function of a gas retort or gas producer in which combustible gases are produced, and these combustible gases are entirely consumed in the combustion chamber. The result isthat all the gases from the coal are burned in the furnace and no combustible gases will bewasted by passing to the smoke My improved furnace has the further ad vantage that thecoal can be burned with a minimum production of clinkers.

I may if desired provide a furnace front with doors 17 through which suitable implements may be inserted for the purpose of evenly spreading the green coal 16 onto the body of burning coke.

I have not illustrated herein any mechanism for operating the grate 16' or reciprocating the'pushers 10 as any suitable devices adapted for this purpose may be employed.

1 claim:

1. In a furnace, the combination with an endless-chain grate having its upper run in a single plane, of a coking grate situated entirely in front of the endless-chain grate and below the level of the upper run thereof, means to deliver fuel onto the coking grate, means to transferperiodically onto the endless-chain grate that portion only of the fuel on'the coking grate which is situated above the level of the endless-chain grate whereby'after each transfer there will be left a body of burning coke on the coking grate onto which green coal may be delivered.

2. In a furnace having a combustion chamber, an endless chain grate and sprocket wheels around which said grate passes, the combination with said grate, of a coking grate situated in front of thefront sprocket wheels of the endless chain grate and below the level of the top surface of said grate, a reciprocating plunger situated slightly above the level of the endless chain grate and constructed to have a reciprocating movement over the cokingugrate whereby inward movement of the plunger forces'onto the endless chain grate that portion onlyof the fuel on the coking grate which is situated above the level of said endless chain I name to this specification.

MATTHEW CUMMINGS. 

